by Scott Baron
“Of course. It is why the older generation all have metal limbs and replacement parts.”
“Exactly. The first generation of entirely organic kids is finally growing up, mod and oppression-free, and their parents want to make damn sure they stay that way.”
The two men walked over to better examine the test subject. He was like the other Chithiid in that he was roughly seven feet tall, had four muscular arms, and a second set of eyes toward the back of his head. His skin was a grayish hue, and thick callouses could clearly be seen on his wrists, where years of wearing restraints had caused them to build up.
On his right shoulder was an unusual symbol. And from what Bawb could tell, it had been branded there.
“This appears to be some sort of tribal marking,” he noted.
“A sign of the loyalists,” Terry the cyborg said, having regained his composure. “Not all of them wore it, though. In fact, many hid in the ranks of the regular Chithiid, kind of like spies. But the higher-up ones usually had this burned into their skin.”
“And they sided with your enemies?” Bawb asked, a note of disgust in his voice.
“They did. They helped wipe out pretty much everyone on the planet,” Terry said. “Of course, you know all of that now, with Cal filling you in.”
“Yes. It sounds to have been a war for the ages, indeed. And this one was part of the forces responsible for the genocide. A perfect test subject, then,” Bawb said.
It wasn’t even his species that had nearly been made extinct, but Bawb was nevertheless angered at the acts of the traitorous alien. Plus, Charlie was his friend, and he was one of those people. Had he been on Earth at the time of the war, he would almost certainly have been wiped out along with the rest of humanity.
Bawb looked at Charlie, who read the thought in his friend’s mind even without the benefit of a silent link like he shared with Ara. Charlie nodded once.
“Very well,” Bawb said. “Bring him, and restrain him.”
The cyborgs carting the frozen Chithiid rolled him out to the middle of the intersection, which had been cleared of all people and conveyances for this attempt. They then drove long metal spikes into the ground, securing the alien traitor’s chains, despite his being frozen in place.
If Ara was successful in her attempt, he would not remain frozen much longer. And they had no intentions of allowing this particular loyalist to run free.
Ara had been absorbing the warm energy of the sun’s rays while the test subject was procured and moved into position. Unlike many, she was a predator at heart, despite her demeanor toward her friends. A dragon, and one who had killed and eaten all manner of man and beast over her incredibly long life.
If this test subject should perish, it would be unfortunate, but his demise itself would not weigh on her conscience one bit. In fact, she might even get a free meal out of it, though she thought the others might object.
“I’m ready whenever you are,” she silently informed Charlie.
“Cool. You sure about this? I mean, it’s the first time they’ve ever tried to use their neuro-stim devices to implant knowledge into a Zomoki, after all.”
“And a... fascinating’ process it was,” she noted. “But it appears to have been a success. At least so far as I can tell. The spell is in my mind, as clear as if I’d been casting it all my life.”
“Okay, then. I guess it’s time we try this.” Charlie turned to the others. “Y’all better step back a ways. Ara’s ready to give it a go.”
The cyborg tenders took the lead from his friends and made sure to stand way back, giving the dragon plenty of room to work her magic. Once they were clear, she turned her attention to the Chithiid restrained before her.
Poor dude, Charlie mused. If this works, the first thing he’s gonna see upon waking up is a giant dragon looming over him.
He glanced over at Leila, and judging by the slightly amused look in her eye, she’d just been thinking the same thing. They locked eyes a moment, sharing a warm smile, then turned their attention back to the spell their friend was beginning to cast.
Magic crackled in the air as she focused her energy on the single frozen individual in front of her. It was a spell she was perfectly comfortable casting, thanks to the neuro-stim, but nevertheless, they’d been forced to make a few little adaptations as they filled in the blanks where they had been unable to fully retrieve the magical memory from Bawb’s mind.
The Chithiid remained completely motionless, locked in place in a deep stasis. Then, slowly, he began to move. Not with intent––not yet, at least––but his body was freed from its imprisonment, finally able to move freely once more.
A moment later all four of the Chithiid’s eyes snapped into focus, darting around the faces of his captors. Then the gray man turned a paler shade as he looked up at the impossible sight towering above.
Ara smiled, but all he saw was a mouth full of massive teeth. Teeth that could rend him to pieces without so much as an effort. It was a good thing his bowels were still somewhat frozen in place, or he’d undoubtedly have loosed them at that moment.
“What is that thing?” he managed to say.
“Huh, that’s odd,” Terry said. “This one refuses to speak anything but Chithiid normally.”
“Ah, that is my doing,” Bawb noted. “I have made a habit of it these days. Wherever we go, my friends and I bear with us a translation spell, and it typically extends to those in our immediate vicinity if we are adequately powered. At first, when we arrived in this time and place, this Chithiid language was unable to be properly translated. But that was quickly rectified, and now that tongue is understood as readily as the others.”
“Wait, so he’s speaking Chithiid?”
“Yes.”
“Fascinating,” Terry said, turning to the prisoner. “You hear that? Even if you only speak Chithiid, we all understand you now. Though, to be fair, we’ve all had the Chithiid language upgrade for years, now, so I don’t know why you’re still so stubborn about it.”
The Chithiid loyalist rose to his full height. If he was to be devoured by a beast at the hands of his enemies, at least he would face his fate like a man. “I speak the language of my people, not yours. And one day, my masters will return and lay waste to this place once again.”
“You know that’s not happening, right?” Terry said. “You know you lost the war.”
“So you keep saying.”
“It is of no consequence,” Bawb interjected. “The spell worked. We have no further use for this man. Do with him as you wish.”
“You hear that?” Terry said, gesturing to Ara. “Lucky for you, our new friend here isn’t hungry.”
“I actually could do with a bite,” she silently told Charlie. “I am feeling a bit peckish.”
“We’ll grab you a cow or something in a minute,” he replied, amused at the cyborg’s mind game with his prisoner.
Terry and the others pulled up the chains tethering the Chithiid in place and led him back toward his cell in the tower. As they walked away, Charlie could hear him working on the prisoner’s spirits a little more.
“Your former masters are nothing compared with the power our dragon friend wields, you know,” he said to the Chithiid. “And if they ever were to make a reappearance, they wouldn’t stand a chance.”
“He’s really enjoying this, isn’t he?” Leila said as she leaned against her king.
“Yeah,” Charlie replied. “But I suppose it’s only natural. I mean, if the guy’s been a pain in their ass all these years, it must feel pretty nice finally getting a rise out of him.”
The group moved in close again and gathered around Ara.
“So, it works,” Rika said. “And it didn’t cause a reaction from the fail-safes on the ship.”
“No, it did not,” Ara replied. “I would definitely have noticed if it had. And this is a very good sign.”
“Do you think you will be able to unfreeze the others?” Bawb asked expectantly.
“One
at a time, I might eventually be able to do so. But I don’t know if you noticed, but the test subject, while alert, was still moving slowly. He’s not fully unfrozen, and I do not know what long-term effects there may be from this underpowered process.”
“But you can possibly do other individuals?”
“Bawb, I know what you are asking, but I would not risk causing Hunze harm. And this is larger than just our friends. Even if I could free her, there’s still the issue of the whole planet at once. I am afraid I would need a lot more power than what I possess. Even with your Ootaki hair adding to the spell, I still don’t know if it would be enough to negate the spell worldwide.”
It was true. Bawb had a massive amount of power stored in the locks Hunze had gifted him, but even that might not be enough for a spell of this sheer enormity.
Suddenly, a smile broke out on Charlie’s face.
“What is it, Charlie?” Ara asked.
“Guys. I have a plan.”
Chapter Fifty-Six
“I’m sorry. How much lead?” Cal asked, sounding a bit confused, which for a super-powerful AI was really saying something. “Are you sure about those numbers?”
“I’m the engineer who built her, Cal. Trust me, I know what it’ll take to fully entomb the Asbrú. And yes, it is a shit-ton of lead, but I’ve tried it out small scale with a bit of Hunze’s hair, and my theory played out. The lead does seem to keep the sun from powering it up, at least for the most part.”
“But once the ship grows closer to the sun, even the lead won’t stop all of the energy from reaching it.”
“I know. And that’s why Ara has already begun casting a cascade of spells, all of which will combine into one larger blast of magic when she triggers them. By the time we’ve prepared a container for the Asbrú and have her loaded inside, there should be thousands of smaller spells already stacked and ready to go.”
“And I currently possess the power of a visla, in addition to that of Hunze’s locks,” Bawb said. “If you can devise the means to provide me with the counterspell, as you have for the Wise One, then I too can begin casting to help buttress her spells.”
“I believe that with our mapping of your physiology, while extracting the specific memory that created the spell, that should be doable.”
“Then, please, let us perform the procedure as soon as you are able.”
“Visit my facility in two hours. I believe we should be able to adjust the system to accommodate your request by then. And as for your project, Charlie, it may take a little time to source that quantity of lead and set up a fabrication facility to build an encasement for the ship.”
“It doesn’t have to be anything fancy, Cal. Just so long as we can seal it around the Asbrú, we should be good.”
“But how are you going to launch it into space if it’s wrapped in lead?” Rika asked. “I mean, it’s already a heavy ship, and with all that lead? It’s going to be impossible.”
“Not necessarily,” he replied. “Cal, those massive ships you guys captured from the invaders during the war. They don’t have AI control, right?”
“That is correct. The Ra’az systems were entirely manual.”
“So trashing one of them wouldn’t be costing anyone their life. An AI, I mean. So all we need is to find one big enough to carry the Asbrú in its hold, and from what I saw when Rip was showing us around, it looked like at least a few of their old captured ships would be big enough to fit her inside––if we stripped them out, that is.”
“It would be possible, yes. At least as far as raw capacity is concerned. Many of the Ra’az ships we captured were originally used as transport vessels for the Chithiid work force. With a minimal amount of work, the interior of one of those could be retrofitted to accommodate the Asbrú. But it will take us weeks, if not months, to get the engines on those craft modified to be able to break the incredible mass of that ship––especially once it is encased in lead––out of the atmosphere.”
“But they can fly, right?”
“Yes, they have the capacity for flight.”
“And they’re sturdy enough to survive flight in space, right?”
“That as well, yes. But as I have mentioned, their thrusters are simply too weak in their current condition to exit the atmosphere, and by the time we are able to retrofit them with modifications capable of providing the extra thrust, it will already be too late.”
Charlie sighed. It was a good idea, and if they could get the Asbrú contained in a lead casing, then it might buy them some additional time. But Cal was right. They simply couldn’t afford to wait a month until the ship was modified enough to do what they required.
“A question,” Bawb said.
“Yeah?”
“Cal said that this craft you wish to utilize is already capable of flight, correct?”
“Yes. But its engines don’t have the lift we need to––”
“I’m getting to that,” Bawb interrupted. “As I see it, if this ship is indeed able to fly close to the upper reaches of the atmosphere, then all it really needs is a boost of sorts to get it to the gravity-free environs of outer space. Once there, the ship should be able to fly as normal.”
“Right, but like Cal said, it can’t break atmosphere.”
“Not on its own, no.”
“What are you getting at, Bob?”
“What I am trying to say is I possess a powerful Drookonus. And Ara and I both have substantial additional power at our disposal. What if we were to use our combined magic to give the ship a little push?”
Charlie looked at Rika. She knew flying better than he did, and from the look on her face, she thought the plan might actually work.
“So you’d basically take an already-flying ship and nudge it the rest of the way out of the atmosphere, is that what you’re saying?” she asked, intrigued.
“Yes, basically,” Bawb replied.
She turned to Charlie. “You know, it might actually work. I mean, a huge ship like that, there’s no way magic alone could lift it. But if it’s already in flight like Bawb said, then a little magical push might be just enough to get it into space.”
“And if it falls?” Charlie asked. “It’s the end of the world, you know.”
“So we don’t let it fall,” Rika replied. “And if we don’t make this work, the aliens will invade and overrun Earth, which is basically the end of the world anyway. So I say let’s go out swinging if we’re going to go at all.”
Charlie paused, thinking about the variables that might come into play. At the end of the day, though, Rika was right. There simply wasn’t enough time for anything else. And she was right about something else. It was indeed better to go out on your feet, giving it your best shot.
“Okay,” he finally said. “Let’s make this happen.”
Chapter Fifty-Seven
Sourcing the quantity of lead Charlie had requested might have been a simple affair in the days of a bustling human civilization, but after the war, there was simply no demand for any ore––or smelting of any sizable amount, for that matter. What they required to rebuild would simply be drawn from the wreckage of the planet’s former inhabitants, as well as that of the vanquished invaders.
It would take at least a week with all of the available cyborgs and AI robotic systems around the globe to acquire the amount needed to build the sealed tomb for the Asbrú. It was cutting it close, from what Ara could tell, but they really didn’t have any other choice.
In the meantime, however, the great minds of Earth’s AI network leapt to action with their fabrication bots making quick work patching the damage to the rather large Ra’az ship they had determined to be the best candidate to carry the sheer mass of the encased craft in its hold.
There was a great deal of cutting away of the interior walls and storage, but not the load-bearing or structural walls and reinforcements. But rather than scrapping all of the metal removed with the portable plasma cutters, much of the material was repurposed into a reinforced structu
re to hold the Asbrú.
That portion of the project was surprisingly quick work––the facilities for ship maintenance were already up and online, unlike those for smelting the uncommon metal Charlie required. The result was a cradle of salvaged parts, all locked into place and ready to hold the Asbrú fast, while still allowing the construction bots ample access to install the lead paneling as the pieces became available.
The smaller ship was loaded into place with great care, Ara standing by to monitor the magical signature emanating from the craft, ensuring they didn’t accidentally trigger the fail-safe spell.
With Ara, Bawb, and even Charlie’s growing power guiding the process, the magic-wielders worked hand in hand with the AI workforce to slowly, and carefully transfer the Asbrú to the shipworks and nestle it into the waiting receptacle.
It had taken every bit of that week to ready the space for it, but given the nature of their task, that was an incredible feat for the bots hard at work twenty-four-seven. And to Charlie’s eyes, the sheer speed and precision of technology in his future was almost magic in its own way.
“You know, it took years to build the Asbrú,” he commented as he watched the AI machinery fly through their carefully planned motions.
At the end of that week, the smelting of the initial scraps of salvaged lead had just begun in the makeshift facilities so hastily cobbled together. Within only a day, the first several massively heavy panels of the thick metal had been delivered to the waiting fabricators, the still-warm metal passed up into the ship’s hold, where the waiting Asbrú was slowly being encased in a lead cocoon of sorts.
But when its chrysalis occurred, something far deadlier than a butterfly would emerge. The hope was to delay that until their plan was complete.
At the end of the process, nearly three weeks had passed. It was cutting it incredibly close, but the invaders’ portal had not opened yet, likely delayed by the thick lead dampening the Ootaki hair’s absorption of the sun’s energy.
